Recording-tablet



No. 626,943. Patented lune l3, I899.

W. M00. SYKES.

RECORDING TABLET.

I (Application filedi Mary. 18, 1898, {No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 626,943. Patnted June 13, I899.. w. M00. SY'KES.

nscon'ome TABLET.

(Application filed May 18, 1898.)

(No Model.) Sheets$heet 2.

N x w UNITED STATES \VILLIAM MCQUISTON SYKES, OF ABERDEEN, MISSISSIPPI.

PATENT OFFICE.

RECORDING-TABLET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letter Application filed May 18, 1898.

1'0 (0M whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM MoQulsroN SYKES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aberdeen, in the county of Monroe and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Recording- Tablets, of which the following is a specification.

Mypresent invention pertains to improvements in recording-tablets, the construction and advantages of which will be hereinafter set forth, reference being bad to the annexed drawings, wherein- Figure l is a top plan view of my device; Fig. 2, a cross-sectional view on the line as 00 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a perspective view of a portion of the carbon-sheet-retaining frame; Fig. 4, an enlarged detail perspective view illustrating a portion of said frame; Fig. 5, asimilar view of a storage-chamber or holder designed more especially for receiving the record-strip after it has been used; and Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9, detail views.

The extended use of telephones at the present time has rendered it important that there should be some ready means handy to the instrument for recording the intelligence or memorandum received over the line. In many commercial houses and stations it is a common thing to see the wall-space adjacent to the instrument covered over with figures and the like, which disfigure the wall and indicate a careless manner of doing business, besides frequently leading to mistakes.

The object of my invention is to provide a suitable recording device which may be placed within easy reach of the telephone-operator and will enable him not only to make a memorandum which may be torn off and used as necessary, but also to keep a permanent rec-- ord, said permanent record serving as a means of check against mistakes in and alterations of the memorandum which is torn off and taken away.

With this end in view I have devised the apparatus which will now be described.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 denotes the base of S Patent No. 626,943, dated June 13, 1899.

Serial No. 681,067. (No model.)

ets 2, the brackets being arranged in pairs near each end of the board, and in said brackets are mounted shafts or spindles 3, provided with cranked arms 4:. Each shaft is provided with a bar 5, Fig. 7, which extends lengthwise thereof at a short distance from theshaft, forming a means whereby the end of a web 6 may be secured or attached. Said bar 5 is connected to the shaft at one end only, so that the web or roll may be slipped on or off the shaft at will. To hold the shafts in position in the slotted brackets 2, a hooked catch 7 (shown in detail in Fig. 9) is employed, a spring 8 connecting the catch with the base. the shaft 3, I provide it with a collar 9, Fig. 1, said collar working against an upstanding guard 10. One of these guards is provided at each end of the shafts, as willbe seen upon reference to Fig. 1, and those upon the right are slotted, as shown in Fig. 8, in order to permit the removal of the shafts 3. The upstanding guards also serve the function of preventing the web or strip 6 from running off the ends of the shaft against the bracket 2 when a wide strip is employed.

employ two rolls 11 11, carried in the ends of two spring-bars 12, saidbars being rigidly secured to the base at their centers and provided with set-screws 13 near each end in order that the rolls 11 may be adjusted toward or from the base 1.

.At that portion of the base where the writing is to be done I provide a cushion 14:, Fig. 2, in order that a smooth and somewhat yielding surface may be presented;

Extending across the web 6 and above the bars 12 is a second web 15. Said web is carried by a frame which is pivoted to the base and swings down over the upright web 6 at right angles thereto. This frame for carrying the web 15 is formed as shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4. curved as shown in Fig. 3 and connected by a bar 17, which forms the pivot for the frame.

. Said bar 17 extends beneath a block 18, which is secured to the base and may form the support or bearing for said bar 17, or independent means may be used for forming the bearing. This,however, is immaterial. The bars 16 extend to the left and are connected by To prevent endwise movement of I To hold the web 6 down upon the base, I

It comprises'two bars 16 16, I

metal strips 19 to bars or rods 20, said bars 20 inclining upwardly, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and having formed at their upper ends eyes 21, which serve as journals for the ends of an axle carrying a roll 22. Said roll may be of aiiy approved type; but the form actually used is shown in detail in Fig. 2, wherein it will be seen that the roll isprovided with a slot 22, extending through one side thereof,

cured a holder or retaining-compartment 35, comprising two circular ends 36 36, connectinto which the end of the web 15 may be inserted to secure it thereto.

A'suitable crank is of course provided by I which the roll may be rotated and the Web 15 wound up.

23, and the arms 16 are also directly connected by a cross-bar 24. Upon said bar 24 is pivoted a supplemental rectangular or substantially rectangular frame 25, the dimensions of said frame being such that it will just fit in between the side members 19 of the main frame. The front cross-bar 25 of the supplemental frame fits down close against the bar 23 and holds the said frame in" position until forced up. A carbon-sheet 26 is passed beneath the side members 19 and brought up over the same, as shown in Fig. 3, after which the supplemental frame25 is swung down, binding the edges of the sheet and holding it taut. A guide-plate 27, Figs. 2 and 4, is pivoted to the rear cross-bar 27 of the supplemental frame 25, said guide-plate being of the form shown in said figures and extending from the upper face of the carbon-sheet toward the upper face of the block 18. This guide-plate serves to direct the web from the carbon-sheet up onto said block and to hold the web down upon the carbon-sheet. The web passes beneath the bar 23 and the forward edge of the supplemental frame 25, beneath a springpressed guide 28, up over the guide-plate 27, and beneath a spring-pressed cutting member 29. Both the guide 28 and the cutting member 29 are pivoted upon the cross-bar 27, and a spring 30 serves to keep these members down in position upon the web15. By making the pivotal connection of the cutting memb61'29 large enough to embrace the spring but one spring need be employed, though of course, if desired, a separate spring for each member could be used, although but one is shown in the drawings.

After the web 15 passes beneath the cutting member 29 it is extended over the block 18 and beneath the elastic webbing 31, secured at the outer end of said block.

Inasmuch as the device will usually standslightly below the block 18 and serves the same purpose in connection with the block as does the rest 32 in connection with the duplicating portion of the apparatus. A suitable spring-latch 34 is secured to the base and engages one edge of the swinging frame when said frame is swung down into operative position.

At the upper end of the base there is seed together by a shell or casing 37, provided with a hinged door 38. A shaft 39 passes through the ends of heads 36, and suitable The arms 20 are connected by a cross-bar latches 4O engage grooves formed-upon the shaft. The shaft is preferably of the same construction as the shaft 3, Fig. 7, and is designed to constitute a suitable roll to receive the web which has been used and is covered with memorandum. To secure the proper winding of the web upon the roll, I provide a weighted roller 41, (shown in Fig. 5,) thereduced ends of said roller working in guides or ways 42, extending from the periphery of the heads or ends 36 down toward the center thereof. As the web is wound upon the roller the weighted roll bears upon the same and keeps the webbin g close to the portion which has already been wound up, and thus prevents buckling and twisting. The compartment is made quite large and may receive a 1 number of webs, which are removed from time to time from the. shaft 3. When said retaining-compartment is full, the latches 40 are withdrawn from the grooves in the shaft and the shaft moved endwise, permitting the roller and the web carried thereby to be withdrawn and removed, to be disposed of as may be found expedient.

To the low er end of the base there are secured suitable brackets 43, inwhich is mounted a shaft 44, carrying a roll 45. This roll is designed to receive the supply of Web which from time to time may be removed therefrom and placed upon the shaft 3. To keep the web carried bysaid roll 45 in position and to prevent its unwinding, I provide a weighted roller 46, which is journaled upon the outer ends of a bail 47, said bail being pivotally secured to the base 1 by suitable eyes or staples 48, as shown in Fig. 1. I

When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the apparatus is designed to have a permanent record. made upon the web 6, and a record which may be detached or not, as desired, made upon the web 15. The operator, with the parts as shown, writes the message or memorandum upon that portion of the Web 15 above the carbon-sheet 26, and

, in so doing makes a duplicate copy of the message upon the web 6 immediately below. After the message has been written the web 15 is drawn to the right and may be torn off against the cutting'edge of the cutter blade or member 29. In drawing the web 15 to the right a new surface is presentedover the carhon-sheet, and the operator by manipulating either of the cranks 4: draws that portion of the web 6 containing the record from beneath the carbon-sheet, so that the webs are again in position to have the message written thereon. This operation is repeated from time to time until the entire length of the web 6 has been used, when it may be reversed and the opposite side used, if so desired. If it is not desired, however, to use both sides of the web 6, a new web maybe inserted and the one previously used drawn off and placed in the compartment 35.

If it be desired to make a permanent single record without making the carbon, the carbon-carrying frame is swung over to the right, in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, or it may rest as it is and the record be made directly upon the web or strip 6 above the same. Should it be desired to make a simple memorandum which can be torn off and removed without keeping any permanent record, the web 15 is passed over the block 18, beneath the elastic retaining device 31, and the record is made on that part of the web 15 which is directly over said block 18. The portion containing the message can then be severed.

The retainer 31 may consist of a band of any elastic material which will hold the paper or web 13 closely down upon the block 18 when the web is to be used as above described.

By use of the upper retaining-compartment 35 reference may readily be made to any memorandum which has previously been made by simply drawing the tape off from the roll. After the memorandum has been examined the web can easily be put back in place by simply turning the crank connected to the shaft carrying the roll. It frequently occurs that one desires to consult certain memorandum which has been previously made with a message which is coming over the line, and this is easily and'quickly done with the above arrangement. By having the supply-roll located at the base no time is lost in supplying a new web for the rolls 3. The location of the supply-roll for the cross-web 15 upon the carbon-carrying frame permits said frame and roll to be swung over without drawing the web from under the springpressed guide 28 and the cutting member 29.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a recording device, the combination of a suitable base, and means carried thereby for traversing a web thereover; means for passing a second web over the first web; a pivoted frame holding a duplicating-sheet, adapted when swung down to come into line with both webs, and between the same at their point of crossing; and a severing device for the lowermost web, carried by the frame.

2. In a recording device, the combination of a suitable base, and means for traversing a web thereover; means for passing a second web across the path of travel of the lowermost web; a pivoted frame holding a dupliweb across the first web; a pivoted frame holding a duplicating-sheet, adapted when swung down to come into line with both webs at their point of crossing; a guide-plate 27 carried by said frame; a spring-pressed severing device also carried by said frame immediately over said guide-plate; and means forholding the second web down upon the duplicating-sheet.

4. In a recording device, the combination of a suitable base; shafts 3 mountedthereon; adjustable spring-bars 12 carrying rolls at their outer ends, said rolls adapted to bear upon a web passing between shafts 3; a frame pivoted to the base; a carbon-sheet carried by said frame; means for passing a second web over the carbon-sheet; a guide-plate 27 carried by said frame; a spring-pressedguide 2S; and a spring-pressed severing device 29.

5. In a recording device, the combination of a suitable base; means for moving a web over the same; a frame pivoted upon said base and adapted to swing down across the path of travel of the web carried by said means; a supply-roll mounted upon said frame and adapted to carry a second web; and means for retaining said second web in its position with relation to the frame.

6. In a recording device, the combination of a suitable base; means for moving a web thereover; a frame pivotally secured to the base and adapted to be swung down across the path of travel of the web carried by said means; a duplicating-sheet carried by said frame; a supply-roll also carried by said frame and adapted to hold a second web; and means for holding said second web in its position above the carbon-sheet.

7 In a recording device, the combination of a suitable base; means for traversing a web thereover; a frame pivoted to the base; and a supporting-bar secured to the frame and adapted when said frame is swung down to extend over the path of travel of the web.

8. In a recording device, the combination of a suitable base; means for traversing a web thereover; a frame pivoted to the base and adapted to be swung down over the path of travel of the web; means carried by said frame for sustaining a second web; a block 18 secured to the base at one end thereof; and means for holding the web carried by the frame down upon said block.

9. In a recording device, the combination of a suitable base; means for traversing a web .thereover; means for passing a second web across the lowermost web at approximately right angles thereto; a block 18 located to one side of the path of travel of the lower web IIO retaining devices carried by the frame for holding said second web in position a block 18 located to one side of the frame in line with the web carried by said frame; and 15 hand-rests 32 and 33.

In witness whereof I hereunto set iny hand in the presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM MCQUISTON SYKES. WVitnesses:

W; XV. MoDoUGAL, H. H. SCOOPE. 

